2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the photographer, William Blake. From his home and shop in Longton, Blake captured a unique record of the people and landscapes of north Staffordshire and the surrounding area.

Featuring nearly 50 of Blake's iconic photographs and postcards, this exhibition explores Blake's career and beliefs, the social history of the early 20th century, and the Edwardian 'Postcard Craze' that swept the country in the years before the First World War. Photographs include some of Blake's most famous 'smokies' of The Potteries landscape, alongside lesser-seen images of years gone by.

Images have been reproduced from the collections of The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, from the Warrillow Collection kindly supplied by Keele University Library, and from the postcard collection of Jon Heal.